Comeback Cats! UK Wins 34-27 over Georgia

Enjoy it Big Blue Nation! UK defeats Georgia in Athens for the first time since 1977. It wasn't all pretty, but the Cats showed heart, determination and never gave up. UK played like a different team in the second half. It's not how you start, but how you finish.

Huge game by Sam Maxwell and Corey Peters on defense, both played like monsters. Randall Cobb gutted it out after missing practice this week and Derrick Locke showed that speed kills! Morgan Newton looked like a freshman at times, but continues to get the job done. LaRod King had his first career touchdown tonight.

All around a great game for UK and huge win for the program. This win helps the Cats with their bowl ranking and does wonders for recruiting. Commonwealth will be rockin' next weekend for Tennessee. It's time for Kentucky to make history again! GO CATS!

Skyler Schofner (3-Star OL) Commits to Michigan State

Per ESPN, Skyler Schofner has committed to Michigan State for 2010. Schofner picked the Spartans over Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue. This is a tough loss for UK as the Cats seemed high on Schofner. He visited UK early and many thought the Cats would get an official visit.

Saturday UK Football Links and Notes

Larry Vaught writes about UK and Georgia both wanting to improve their bowl status. Both teams enter the game with records of 6-4 needing a win to improve their bowl destination. If UK can win against Georgia and beat Tennessee next weekend, the Cats are likely headed to the Outback Bowl.

Kentucky Football still faces a tough opponent in Georgia. In the article by Brett Dawson, he quotes Rich Brooks and several players about the Dawgs. This match up will be difficult for UK, especially if Randall Cobb doesn't play. UK has a chance to win this game, which would be another huge win for Rich Brooks and his staff. Look for Georgia to pound the running game and try to set up the big play with play action passing. UK's defensive line and linebackers must be very physical and set the tone early in the game.

Larry Vaught has some insight from a reader on Kyle Karemplelis, a potential recruit, from the state of Georgia. The reader has sent UK information on the potential recruit trying to get the Cats involved. Apparently, Karemplelis' play is similar to Dicky Lyons and Derek Abney. If Karemplelis is similar to either of those players, then UK should jump on board. I'm sure the coaches are trying to study film and determine if he can play at UK.

Chip Cosby has a nice Q&A with Winston Guy. Guy is proud of his progress, but still dedicated to becoming better. The Safety was highly touted coming out of high school and the staff considers him one of the best players to attend UK during the Rich Brooks era. Guy wants more interceptions and to make more key plays.

Derrick Locke says UK must finish games or everyone will still consider the Cats, "the same old Kentucky". Locke makes a great point in this article as many fans feel this way. UK has lost some games this season they could have won, which has lead many fans to feel the Cats are still the Kentucky of old.

Chip Cosby writes both the Cats and Dawgs may be without their star players. Georgia will be without star wide receiver A.J. Green and Kentucky may be without Randall Cobb, who will be a game time decision. Both players are key components to their team's offense, but Randall Cobb probably means more to UK than Green does to Georgia.

Chip Cosby gives his UK-Georgia match up by position and gives UK the advantage with running backs, offensive line and secondary. Cosby feels both teams are even at wide receiver and linebacker, while he gives Georgia the advantage at quarterback, defensive line and special teams.

Winning in the 4th Quarter

Here is nice article by Chris Low from ESPN. Low breaks down the SEC teams and their performances in the fourth quarter. Coincidentally both Alabama and Florida occupy the top two slots. UK comes in at No 5 on the list which should impress some folks.

Friday UK Football LInks and Notes

Will Randall Cobb play against Georgia? Joker Phillips feels it will be hard to keep Cobb off the field. Several people emailed and text me that UK should sit Cobb so he is ready for Tennessee. I disagree, if Cobb can play at 80% then put him on the field. Cobb is such a threat that UK can use him as a decoy. This is football, so there are no promises. Imagine if UK didn't play Cobb against Georgia and then he was injured in practice the following week. Then he sat for no reason. You play to win every single game.


The Georgia game will serve as homecoming to 17 UK football players. Joker Phillips has done a tremendous job of recruiting players out of the state Georgia. UK has a couple of commitments from the Peach state for 2010. The current UK players should be motivated playing in front of family and friends in their home state.

ESPN has some SEC notes and points out that UK has been successful on the road in the SEC. Also, the article talks about Georgia's kicking game which is very solid. Georgia leads the nation in net punting average and their field goal kicker leads the SEC in field goal percentage.

UK's offensive line faces a big challenge against Georgia's front four. UK currently ranks 17th in the nation for rushing yards per game and 4th in the SEC for fewest sacks allowed. The offensive line has played well, but will need one of their best performances to pull out the win in Athens.

UK lost out on four star receiver Dyjuan Lewis (Indianapolis, IN) who committed to Cincinnatii. I'm really surprised that UK has not been able to land a top receiver in this class. UK should be able to sell recruits on playing time and the fact they have two really good young quarterbacks. Football recruiting is very different compared to basketball, so don't count out the Cats just yet.


UK did receive some good news, because three star linebacker Avery Williamson (Milan, TN) committed to the Cats. Williamson has been high on the Cats for quite some time and will be a great player at UK. The Cats now have 17 commitments for the 2010 class. The coaching staff feels they will sign around 22 players. With that said, there isn't a lot of room left for commitments based on returning players.


The weekend of December 5th will be a huge weekend for UK. Not only does UNC come to town for big basketball game, but UK is hosting 11 football recruits as well. The list of players continues to grow, but right now the list includes; Eric Mack (4-Star OL), Ladarius Owens (4-Star LB), Anterio Sloan (4-Star CB), Rajaan Bennett (4-Star RB), Jared Morse (3-Star DT), Ryan Smith (3-Star Athlete), Jerrell Priester (3-Star Athlete), Dale Trimble (3-Star CB), Alvin Davis (2-Star DE), Joseph Byrd (2-Star RB) and Lamar Ivey (3-Star Athlete). Currently Ryan Smith and Alvin Davis are committed to UK. Eric Mack is committed to South Carolina while Jared Morse and Jerrell Priester are committed to Vanderbilt.


The UK coaching staff is already working on 2011 and have started to extend offers. UK is recruiting Ken Mullen (CB, Fort Wayne, IN) who has offers from several BCS schools. Mullen is listed at 5'10" and 175 lbs.

Dyjuan Lewis Commits to Cincinnati

Four Star Wide Receiver Dyjuan Lewis (Indianapolis, IN) has committed to Cincinnati per Rob Gidel. Lewis was UK's top rated receiving target based on reports. Lewis chose the Bearcats over Kentucky and Purdue. Hopefully, Brian Kelly leaves Cincinnati after this season and Lewis will open back up his recruitment. UK is still in the mix for three star receiver Maudrecus Humphrey and the Cats have several athletes they are recruiting who could end up as receivers. Another name to remember is Dwayne Frampton, who is Chris Matthews' cousin and plays at Harbor Community College where both Matthews and Evans played.

Thursday UK Football Links and Notes

ESPN's Chris Low predicts the Dawgs to beat the Cats 31-27 on Saturday. Low points out that he has picked 15 games straight without a miss. Hopefully, Low misses on this one and the Cats sneak out of Athens with a win.

Brett Dawson has a nice article on Sam Maxwell waiting for his opportunity to play at UK. Maxwell learned from some of the best linebackers to play at UK, including Wesley Woodyard, Johnny Williams, Braxton Kelley and Micah Johnson. Maxwell has proven he can play at a high level which may earn him a job in the NFL.

Randall Cobb may miss the Georgia game and his status is questionable. Cobb was unable to finish practice yesterday, but will try to go again today. Per Rich Brooks, Cobb will be held from the second part of practice today. Without Cobb, pulling off the win against Georgia will be difficult, but the Cats can still do it.

John Clay has a nice article about UK's success with road games. As the article points out, if UK wins against Georgia, the Cats will have three road SEC wins for the first time since 1977. Typically teams focus better on the road and don't have the distractions that come with home games.

Christian Johnson offers some insight to the offensive line's play this season. Johnson claims that Zipp Duncan is the "nastiest" guy on the line. Next season will be interesting for UK, the team will lose four starters on the offensive line after the season.

UK has received a commitment from Avery Williamson (Milan, TN) for the class of 2010. Williamson has been high on the Cats for quite some time and is supposed to be visiting UK for the Tennessee game. Williamson had been receiving interest from other schools including Vanderbilt, Memphis and Arkansas State.

Avery Williamson (3-Star LB) Commits to Cats

Rob Gidel is reporting that 3-Star LB Avery Williamson has committed to UK. Based on the reports, UK had been his leader for a long time. This is a big pick up for UK as the Cats lose Micah Johnson and Sam Maxwell after this season.

Skyler Schofner (3-Star OL) Update

Based on reports, UK is still in the mix to land 3-Star offensive lineman Skyler Schofner. His list of schools are Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Schofner visited UK earlier this season during the Florida game and will likely take an official visit back to Lexington.

ESPN Shows Rich Brooks Some Love

Here is a great article from ESPN's Chris Low about Rich Brooks. UK could finish 2nd in the SEC East if the Cats are able to win out. Without Randall Cobb it will be difficult, but not impossible. Rich Brooks and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job of recruiting to upgraded the talent at UK compared to years past. The article also points out that UK joins some pretty big football programs with four consecutive bowl appearances.

Also, Chick-Fil-A Bowl representatives will be at the UK-Georgia game this weekend. UK will likely need to win out to qualify, but would be a huge accomplishment for the team.

Wednesday UK Football Links and Notes

As we reported recently, UK could be close to landing another Stephenson High School Commitment for 2010. When Jabari Johnson (LB) and Ronnie Shields (TE) visited UK recently, they brought along teammate Chris Sharpe (DB). Apparently the UK coaching staff hasn't offered Sharpe a scholarship yet and are still evaluating him. With three of his friends/teammates headed to Lexington (Sanders, Johnson and Shields) there is a good chance Sharpe ends up a Cat.

Three Star WR Robert Johnson (Hattiesburg, MS) appears to be narrowing his list of college choices and UK doesn't appear to be in the mix. Johnson likes Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn and West Virginia. Based on reports, Johnson will likely wait until signing day to make his decision.

The Athens Banner Herald feels Randall Cobb is one of the most dangerous players in the SEC. I'll trump them and say that Cobb is one of the most dangerous in the nation. In my opinion, Randall Cobb has the ability to win a Heisman Trophy if UK can put together a huge season next year.

The Chattanooga Free Times Press feels that Randall Cobb is the central piece to UK. As teams continue to key on Randall Cobb, players like Chris Matthews and LaRod King will have to step up and show their play-making ability.

Rich Brooks urges UK fans to bleed blue. Coach Brooks is referring to the Kentucky-Tennessee "Blue Crush" blood drive. Tennessee fans have given more blood than UK fans for the past few years and Brooks is trying to end that UT streak as well.

Don't forget to vote on the most underrated UK football player in our current poll. It appears that Sam Maxwell is receiving the love based on votes. I'm torn between Sam and John Conner. Both likely will end up playing in the NFL.

Just a reminder that we have a search feature on this blog. Therefore you can type in a recruits name to pull up all of the posts we have made on them. We have put a lot of videos on the site in the past and the search feature is the fastest way to find them.

Thank You for the continued support. This is a UK Football Fan site only. This site is for the fans, players and potential recruits to keep up with UK Football. Feel free to leave comments under any of the threads, they will show up in the recent comments section. As always I can be reached at aaronsukfootballblog@yahoo.com.

Monday Afternoon UK Football Links and Notes

Chip Cosby writes that the Cat's goals extend beyond a bowl. UK wants to move up in the SEC and also make it to the Outback or Chick-Fil-A Bowl. If UK wins both games they have a chance to do so. However, if UK wins one game, they are likely headed back to Music City Bowl. If UK loses the final two games, they are likely headed to the Independence Bowl. Before the season, I predicted UK to have eight regular season wins. It's will be a challenge, but it's not impossible.

Expectations have changed for UK, just ask Christian Johnson. Johnson remembers when the Cats became bowl eligible in 2006 and thought the team was on top of the world. Now, the Cats are hungry and want to move up in the SEC.

Athens Banner Herald Online writes that the running game has carried UK's offense this season. UK has ran the ball well and the offensive line has set the pace. UK needs to find some consistency with their passing game in order to find the perfect balance. During the Vanderbilt game, several people emailed and text me that UK's passing game was too lateral. I agree, that the Cats need to take some shots down field, but it seems the coaches are trying to manage the game as much as possible with a young quarterback.

Ricky Lumpkin knows he made the right decision to attend UK four years ago. Lumpkin looks at the number of bowl games the other schools have been to and knows he has already played in three and likely four now.

In case you missed it yesterday, Alex Smith (TE, Cincinnati, OH) has decommitted from the Bearcats. Smith attended UK for the Louisville game and is considering the Cats along with North Carolina and Wisconsin. Smith visited North Carolina this past weekend and is rumored to make a decision as early as today.

Make sure you check back later as I will have an update on the 2010 roster with commitments. Chuck Smith has stated that UK will likely sign 22 players. Currently, UK has 67 returning scholarship players and 16 commitments. The NCAA maximum is 85 scholarship players. Could some players be transferring? Are there grade issues? Is the coaching staff signing kids that would grey shirt? There is a lot to consider.

UK Recruiting ESPN150 Running Back

2011 running back Quan Bray (Hogansville, Ga) is receiving a lot of interest from major programs including Kentucky. Bray claims that Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Clemson and Auburn are recruiting him the hardest. UK has offered and it's still very early in the recruiting process. UK has 16 commitments for 2010 and will likely only take six more in the class. UK has already started laying the ground work for 2011.

Alex Smith (TE) has decommited from Cincinnati

ESPN is reporting that Alex Smith (Cincinnati, OH) has decommited from the Bearcats. Smith is now considering Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Smith has also received interest from Miami-FL, LSU and South Carolina. Smith visited UK earlier this season for the Louisville game and the Cats are clearly in the mix.

Possible SEC Assistant Coaches on the move?

ESPN talks about the possible SEC assistant coaches that could be on the move after the season. Steve Brown interviewed for the Mississippi State head coaching job last season. Could Coach Brown be on the move after this season? Coach Brown has taken some heat during his tenure, but has also done some great things for UK's defense.

Monday Afternoon UK Football Links and Notes

Mike Hartline will have surgery on his knee Tuesday and will be shut down for the final two games. There is an outside chance that Hartline could return for the bowl game. It should be an interesting off season with Hartline and Newton battling for the starting job in 2010.

Chris Matthews will practice this week, but be held out of contact. Randall Cobb will not practice on Tuesday, but should return on Wednesday. Both players are a little banged up after Saturday's game.

Corey Peters has been named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt. Peters registered 5 tackles and 1.5 for loss in UK's win of Vanderbilt. Peters has to be one of the most underrated players in the SEC.

ESPN says Randall Cobb is playing his way into "star status". I agree with the article that Cobb has become the "heart and soul" of the football team. UK fans knew Cobb would be a star after his performance as a true freshman.

ESPN hands out their SEC power rankings and the Cats have moved up to No 10. Both Mississippi State and Vanderbilt follow the Cats. UK has a chance to jump higher on the list if they are able to defeat Georgia this weekend.

Mr. SEC gives his weekly 2010 football commitment comparison. UK did not receive any commitments last week, but are still in position to land several top recruits. UK has 16 commitments thus far and are expected to sign around 22 players.

Adrian Hubbard (2010 Defensive End) has narrowed his list of schools down to three and it appears that UK did not make the cut. Hubbard visited South Carolina this past weekend and came away impressed. Hubbard has already visited Alabama and will take a visit to Florida State as well.

UK and Tennessee will play at 7pm on November 28th based on the initial reports that are coming out.

ESPN SEC Bowl Predictions

ESPN's Chris Low gives his SEC Bowl predictions and has the Cats playing the Independence Bowl against a Big 12 team. UK controls their own destiny and could move up in the bowl rankings with two more wins.

Joker evaluates Newton's performance

Morgan Newton continues to improve each week as a true freshman. Newton is 2-0 on the road in the SEC and 4-1 overall as UK's starting quarterback. The freshman knows how to lead and plays hard. The next couple of years at UK will be really exciting with Morgan Newton under center.